Lone Tree Hop Zombie is back for its 14th year. Lone Tree Brewing Company will tap Hop Zombie Imperial Red IPA at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, for one day only at its Main location, according to the brewery’s announcement published by MyBeerBuzz.
The brewery’s own pitch sets the tone: Hop Zombie is “award-winning, mysteriously drinkable, and nearly gone before it ever really arrives.” The Bureau respects a beer that disappears faster than a UFO on radar.
Lone Tree Hop Zombie by the numbers
Per the brewery, Hop Zombie is a big, bold imperial red IPA at 9% ABV and 90 IBUs. It won a silver medal at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival in the Imperial Red Ale category. Lone Tree calls it “the most anticipated beer release of the year” at the brewery.
The announcement describes the beer as having “a devilishly delicious blend of hops,” but it does not name the hops or offer more tasting notes, so the Bureau won’t invent any.
How Hop Zombie Day works
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, tapping at 11 a.m.
- Where: Lone Tree Brewing – Main only, 8200 Park Meadows Drive, Suite 8222, Lone Tree, Colorado (per the brewery’s site)
- What: Hop Zombie on draft, plus beer to go and merch while limited supplies last
- Line perks: the first 10 people in line get specialty merchandise
MyBeerBuzz points out that the release is limited to the Main location, so fans shouldn’t expect to find it at the Parker tasting room or at local retailers. In the brewery’s words, Hop Zombie “will disappear back into the darkness by the end of the day.”
This year’s theme: Dungeon Crawler Carl
Each year Lone Tree refreshes the Lone Tree Hop Zombie theme with a pop-culture inspiration. For 2026, the brewery says Hop Zombie has a Dungeon Crawler Carl aesthetic. The can art shared with the announcement shows a green, gold and orange zombie hop face against a blood-red sky with bats and twisted trees.
Fourteen years of themed Lone Tree Hop Zombie returns is a long run for a single seasonal. Lone Tree says Hop Zombie brings fans “back to the good ole days of a line of people out the door on release day.” For an alien, a line of humans waiting for one beer is excellent research data.
More from Lone Tree Brewing
If you miss Lone Tree Hop Zombie, the brewery has other releases in its lineup. BeerAlien recently covered Lone Tree Vanilla Caramel Amber, and earlier the Lime Mexican Lager and the brewery’s first year-round IPA. Check the Main location page for hours before you go. Lone Tree has been brewing near Park Meadows Mall since 2011 and opened its Parker taproom in 2024, per the brewery’s site.
Set your alarm for Lone Tree Hop Zombie Day, bring a friend and get in line early. The zombies, as always, are waiting for the hops.
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